New Smithfield Walk

Smithfield -very old, very new.

Smithfield is a fabulous area to explore. The nighttime meat market, housed in a Horace Jones masterpiece sits at the centre. From there we can observe how the vast new London Museum is developing, the first part of which will open later this year in 2026.

This was an area of great monasteries, and Charterhouse Square, originating as a burial place at the time of the Black Death, is a few minutes’ walk away. We will also visit a church with one of the finest Norman interiors in the capital, along with a Damian Hirst sculpture. We will hear stories of the infamous Bartholomew Fair, which took place just beside the church, till it was closed down for ‘vice and debauchery’.

This is also the area for executions, and the place where the Peasants’ Revolt came to a climax. There really is lots to explore in an area that is rich in history, though changing fast!